ELEGANCE by KATHLEEN TESSARO

ELEGANCE

by

KATHLEEN TESSARO

THE BLURB:

Audrey Hepburn had it. Grace Kelly had it. Louise Canova does not.

Elegance, that is. Nor does she have the answers to get her life, looks and marriage back on track. Then one day she discovers a faded hardback in a second-hand bookshop. Elegance, an A-Z of style written by French fashion expert Madame Antoine Dariaux, is a revelation. From Accessories to Zippers, there is nothing that Madame cannot advise upon, including types of husband (and how to manage them) and shopping with girlfriends (don't).

When Louise takes the book to heart, her life is transformed. But as her old self begins to disappear, it is clear there is more to true elegance than she bargained for. Looking the part is only the beginning.

THE REALITY:

Another Filey charity shop find, and another book I demolished in under a week (incidentally, it was a book centered around the theme of style- very much like my last read). Based on a real style manual, I think Madame Dariaux's ideas have stood the test of time well- fashions may change, but the basis for delivering je ne sais quoi remains the same.

I did worry that this was going to turn into an exercise of discussing middle class relationship breakdowns- after all, it's easier to suck it up and stay if you're onto a good thing, in terms of financial ease, and there were definitely some successful/ monied characters in this book. But no, it did in fact do the opposite. Yes, we had some upper class types here, but we were constantly reminded that everyone is human; with flaws, heartbreak, compromise, the lot. Most of the people we met in this novel were extremely likeable, with the exception of Louise's mother-in-law, Mona, a thoughtless old cow if ever there was one, and a person I'm sure (spoiler alert!) she's glad she no longer has to encounter following her divorce from the bloke who's depersonalised a lot, as he's often referred to as just “my husband.” If this is the author's way of putting distance between Louise and Clive (I actually had to hunt to find his name in print) then it works. I also wished Louise had told her frumpy therapist where to go much earlier on. I'm not a fan of the “therapy for just about everything” approach which seems to be the fashion nowadays- no, I'm more a fan of “just getting on with it.”

I enjoyed watching Louise evolve into a person she herself was happy with, and I'm glad she followed her heart in the end. We come into contact with a lot of arty, classy types in this book which I liked. A book can offer an introduction into a world we haven't been a part of (sounds cliched, I know!) Most of all I liked the way the author linked her writings with those of Madame Dariaux- it made for an (another cliché coming...) extremely elegant read!

There is one quote that I can relate to, and that's “drama and passion are just clever disguises for a love that has never taken root.” I can think of two people from my past I can apply that to; men I never really got to know properly before...  And I'll leave it at that; names are not necessary....